HOOPOE.Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.HOOPOE.An occasional visitor to the British Isles.
Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.HOOPOE.An occasional visitor to the British Isles.
Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.
HOOPOE.
An occasional visitor to the British Isles.
Beside theEuropean Hoopoe, which also extends into Northern Africa, four other species are known, three of which are African, whilst a fourth ranges from India to Hainan.
Nearly related to the birds we have just described are theWood-Hoopoes. They differ from their allies in being crestless, having a more curved bill, and a plumage of metallic purple, with a white patch on the wings and white markings on the tail. Their habits resemble those of their more highly coloured relatives.
BEE-EATERS, MOTMOTS, TODIES, COLIES, AND TROGONS.
In the present chapter we deal with a number of birds of singular beauty and gracefulness. In their coloration green predominates, thus recalling the Rollers, Parrots, Plantain-eaters, and Kingfishers, all of which groups, as we have seen, contain a large proportion of green species.
TheBee-eaters, like the Kingfishers, Hornbills, and Hoopoes, have a foot of quite peculiar structure, the middle and outer toes being joined together throughout the greater part of their length. They are an Old World group, ranging from the British Islands to Australia, in the American Continent their place being taken by the Motmots and Jacamars, of which we shall speak presently. They are especially plentiful in the African region, somewhat less so in the Indian, the temperate regions of the Old World possessing but few species.
On rare occasions one species visits the British Islands. This is, furthermore, one of the most beautiful of the group. It has the head, neck, upper back, and a broad wing-bar of a ruddy-brown colour; the lower back buff colour; green wings and tail, with black tips to the middle tail-feathers, which are longer than the rest. The forehead is pale green and white; the ear-coverts are black; and the throat bright yellow, divided from the greenish-blue under-parts by a black band. "The name Bee-eater," writes Mr. Evans, "is well deserved, for in Spain [it] is a perfect pest to the bee-keeper, catching the workers as they enter and leave the hives." Like the Kingfishers, the indigestible parts of the food are cast up and deposited around the eggs, though bee-eaters do not appear to form a nest of them, as with the Kingfishers.
From four to six eggs of a beautiful glossy white colour are deposited in holes in banks, or—and this is worthy of special notice—in tunnels bored vertically downwards in level ground for a distance of from 3 to 10 feet. How this is done is a mystery, for the bird's beak and feet look by no means equal to such a task. No nest appears to be made, the eggs being deposited at the extremity of the burrow without further preparation. Two species of the group, however, are said to form an exception, constructing a nest of straw and feathers.These two, as well as the members of the genus to which the British bird belongs, apparently breed in colonies.
BEE-EATER.Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.BEE-EATER.A native of the Malay countries. The long feathers on the throat are bright scarlet.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.BEE-EATER.A native of the Malay countries. The long feathers on the throat are bright scarlet.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.
BEE-EATER.
A native of the Malay countries. The long feathers on the throat are bright scarlet.
Unfortunately for the bee-eater, its flesh is palatable, whilst its plumage is in great demand for millinery purposes. Its persecution is of long standing, since more than 300 years ago Belon witnessed a particularly cruel experiment practised by the boys in Crete. Transfixing a beetle with a bent pin, to the head of which a thread was tied, and then holding its other end with their hand, they would let the insect fly. The bee-eater, which catches most of its prey on the wing, would dart upon it, and, swallowing the bait, be caught by the hook.
Not unlike the Bee-eaters in general appearance and coloration, theMotmotsare birds of peculiar interest, and this on account of a remarkable habit of one of their tribe—a habit which is perfectly unique, and to which we shall return presently. Belonging, as we have already remarked, to the New World, they range from Southern Mexico to Paraguay, inhabiting dense forests, and being but rarely seen. The plumage is somewhat loose in character—green, blue, cinnamon, and black in colour. The beak has the margins serrated, or saw-like; whilst the feet resemble those of the Kingfishers and Bee-eaters. As with the Bee-eaters, no nest is made. The eggs, three or four in number and creamy white in colour, are deposited in a hole bored by the birds themselves in a tree or bank, both sexes sharing in the work of incubation. Their food consists of insects caught in the air, small reptiles, and fruit.
The remarkable habit to which we have referred is displayed by the species known as theRacket-Tailed Motmot, from the fact that the two middle tail-feathers project beyond the others, and have the greater part of the shaft bare, but terminating in a spoon-shaped expansion. In this there is nothing unusual, for such racket-feathers are common amongst birds. In this particular case, however, the feathers were originally entire, and acquired their characteristic shape artificially, the bird nibbling away the vane on either side of the shaft with its bill until the required shape is obtained. Such an act of conscious decoration on the part of a bird is elsewhere unknown throughout the whole class.
TheTodiesare diminutive allies of the Motmots, frequenting hilly districts and woods. They sit with the beak pointed upwards, the head drawn in close to the body, and the plumage puffed out, apparently oblivious of all around them—at least it would seem so, since at such times they may be caught with a butterfly-net. Like their larger allies, they are green in coloration, but have a light red throat, and yellowish-white or pinkish under-parts, with green or pink flank-feathers. They vary in length from 3 to 4½ inches.
TheColies, orMouse-birds, of South Africa are small, crested, long-tailed, loose-plumaged birds whose exact relationships are somewhat puzzling. The name Mouse-bird is given on account of the habit of creeping along the boughs of trees with the whole foot applied to the branch. The toes are peculiar in that all turn forwards, and are commonly so retained. About ten species are known, ranging from Abyssinia southwards.
RACKET-TAILED MOTMOT.Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.RACKET-TAILED MOTMOT.Note the mutilated tail-feathers.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.RACKET-TAILED MOTMOT.Note the mutilated tail-feathers.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.
RACKET-TAILED MOTMOT.
Note the mutilated tail-feathers.
Resplendent without doubt are the majority of the forms which we have been lately considering, but probably the palm for gorgeous coloration should be given to theTrogons—at least they must be allowed to share the honours with the Humming-birds.
The most splendid of all is theQuezal, the male of which has a train of great length, resembling at first sight a tail. But, as in the peacock, this is formed by enormously elongated tail-coverts, concealing the true tail. These tail-coverts differ, however, markedly from those in the peacock in that they are not erectile, but pendent. The head is ornamented with a large, rounded crest; the ground-colour of the upper parts of the plumage is of brilliant metallic green; the under parts from the chest downwards are of a deep blood-red. Certain of the covert-feathers of the wing form elegant drooping plumes, hanging down on either side and giving a wonderfully beautiful effect.
The late Mr. Salvin's account of this bird in its wild state is well worth quoting. Hunting with a native for this bird in the forest, where alone it is to be met with, he writes: "A distant clattering note indicates that the bird is on the wing. He settles—a splendid male—on a bough of a tree, not seventy yards from where we are hidden. Cipriano wants to creep up to within shot, but I keep him back, wishing to risk the chance of losing a specimen rather than miss such an opportunity of seeing the bird in its living state, and of watching its movements. It sits almost motionless on its perch, the body remaining in the same position, the head only moving from side to side. The tail is occasionally jerked open and closed again, and now and then slightly raised, causing the long tail-coverts to vibrate gracefully. I have not seen all. A ripe fruit catches the quezal's eye, and he darts from his perch, hovers for a moment, picks the berry, and returns to his former position. This is done with a degree of elegance that defies description."
TOUCANS, HONEY-GUIDES, JACAMARS AND PUFF-BIRDS, BARBETS AND WOODPECKERS.
Gaudy in plumage, and somewhat ungainly in appearance, it must nevertheless be admitted that theToucansform an exceedingly interesting group of birds. On account of their huge and gaily coloured beaks, they have been imagined to be related to the Hornbills; but even judging by this character, the two groups may be readily distinguished; for whereas the typical beak of the hornbill is surmounted by a large casque, the beak of the toucan isnever so ornamented. The solid appearance of the beak in the toucan, by the way, is as much a fiction as with the hornbill, since the horny sheath is supported, not on a core of solid bone, but on a frame of delicate bony filigree-work, the spaces being filled by air. The coloration of the plumage (which is somewhat loose in character), as well as of the bare skin round the eye and the beak-sheath, is most brilliant, and displays immense variation amongst the different species.
TROGON.Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.TROGON.Trogons haunt the recesses of the thickest forests.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.TROGON.Trogons haunt the recesses of the thickest forests.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.
TROGON.
Trogons haunt the recesses of the thickest forests.
Shy and restless in their habits, toucans travel generally in small flocks amongst the forest-trees and mangrove-swamps in search of food, which consists mainly of fruits and seeds, varying this diet occasionally with ants and caterpillars. It is to this diet of fruit that the great size of the bill and its peculiar saw-like edges are to be traced—at least this is the opinion of the great traveller-naturalist Bates, who had so many opportunities of watching these birds. "Flowers and fruit," he writes, "on the crowns of the large trees of South American forests grow principally towards the end of slender twigs, which will not bear any considerable weight. All animals, therefore, which feed principally upon fruit, or on insects contained in flowers, must, of course, have some means of reaching the ends of the stalks from a distance. Monkeys obtain their food by stretching forth their long arms, and in some instances their tails, to bring the fruit near to their mouths; humming-birds are endowed with highly perfected organs of flight, with corresponding muscular development, by which they are enabled to sustain themselves on the wing before blossoms whilst rifling them of their contents; [and the long bill of the toucan enables it] to reach and devour fruit whilst remaining seated, and thus to counterbalance the disadvantage which its heavy body and gluttonous appetite would otherwise give it in the competition with allied groups of birds."
Toucans appear to be much esteemed as articles of food—at least during the months of June and July, when these birds get very fat, the flesh being exceedingly sweet and tender. They nest in holes of trees at a great height from the ground, and lay white eggs.
One of the most remarkable of the group is theCurl-crested Toucan, from the fact that the feathers on the crown of the head are peculiarly modified to form scroll-like, glossy curls, which have been compared to shavings of steel or ebony. Mr. Bates writes: "I had an amusing adventure one day with one of these birds. I had shot one from a rather high tree in a dark glen in the forest, and entered the thicket where the bird had fallen to secure my booty. It was only wounded, and on my attempting to seize it set up a loud scream. In an instant, as if by magic, the shady nook seemed alive with these birds, although there was certainly none visible when I entered the jungle. They descended towards me, hopping from bough to bough, some of them swinging on the loops and cables of woody lianas, and all croaking and fluttering their wings like so many furies. If I had had a long stick in my hand, I could have knocked several of them over. After killing the wounded one, I began to prepare for obtaining more specimens and punishing the viragos for their boldness. But the screaming of their companion having ceased, they remounted the trees, and before I could reload every one of them had disappeared."
With neither charm of colour nor peculiar shape, the small African birds known asHoney-guidesare some of the most remarkable of birds, and this on account of a quiteunique habit of inducing other animals, not even excepting man, to hunt for them. Sir John Kirk, writing of its habits in the Zambesi district, says: "The honey-guide is found in forests and often far from water, even during the dry season. On observing a man, it comes fluttering from branch to branch in the neighbouring trees, calling attention. If this be responded to—as the natives do by whistling and starting to their feet—the bird will go in a certain direction, and remain at a little distance, hopping from one tree to another. On being followed, it goes further; and so it will guide the way to a nest of bees. When this is reached, it flies about, but no longer guides; and then some knowledge is required to discover the nest, even when pointed out to within a few trees. I have known this bird, if the man, after taking up the direction for a little, then turns away, come back and offer to point out another nest in a different part. But if it does not know of two nests, it will remain behind. The difficulty is that the bird will point to tame bees in a bark hive as readily as to those in the forest. This is natural, as the bee is the same, the bark hive ... being simply fastened up in a tree, and left for the bees to come to.... The object the bird has in view is clearly the young bees. It will guide to nests having no honey, and seems equally delighted if the comb containing the grubs is torn out, when it is seen pecking at it."
CURL-CRESTED TOUCAN.Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.CURL-CRESTED TOUCAN.So called from the curiously curled feathers on the head, resembling black and glistening shavings.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.CURL-CRESTED TOUCAN.So called from the curiously curled feathers on the head, resembling black and glistening shavings.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.
CURL-CRESTED TOUCAN.
So called from the curiously curled feathers on the head, resembling black and glistening shavings.
An old rumour had it that honey-guides occasionally lured men on to spots where lions or other large and dangerous beasts lay hid. No credence whatever is now given to such tales, it being readily understood that the bird's course may by accident pass directly above perils of this kind, without the slightest cognisance of this on the part of the bird.
The honey-guide, however, presses into its service one of the lower mammals—the ratel. The fondness of this animal for bees is well known, and by none better than this little bird, which, by pointing out nests to its more powerful companion, earns as a reward the broken bits which remain after the feast.
Allies of the sombre-coloured Honey-guides are theJacamarsandPuff-birds. The former are rather handsome birds, though small, having the upper-parts of a metallic coppery golden green, and more or less rufous below. Ranging from Mexico to South Brazil, they may usually be found on the outskirts of forests, near water, sitting perched on the bare boughs of lofty trees for hours at a time. They feed on moths and other insects, caught on the wing, and brought back and crushed against the bough before swallowing. They lay white eggs in the holes of trees.
ThePuff-birds, though closely allied to the foregoing, are more soberly clad. Black, brown, and rufous in hue, they lack the resplendent metallic markings of the Jacamars. Their geographical range extends from Guatemala and Honduras to Argentina. Though numerous species and genera are known, the nest and eggs appear to have been discovered in the case of one species only: these were found in a hole in a bank, and contained two shining white eggs.
TheBarbetsare possibly more closely related to the Honey-guides than the Jacamars and Puff-birds. Brilliantly coloured, and having a plumage exhibiting violent contrasts of red, blue, purple, and yellow, on a green ground, sometimes with crests, bare skin round the eye, and brightly coloured bills, the barbets are, in spite of a somewhat hairy appearance, exceedingly attractive birds.
Forest-dwellers, like their allies, they feed upon fruit, seeds, insects, bark, and buds; but so noiseless are they said to be when feeding that their presence is betrayed only by the falling of berries they have accidentally released.
HONEY-GUIDE.Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.HONEY-GUIDE.The name is bestowed on account of its remarkable habit of drawing attention to bees' nests.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.HONEY-GUIDE.The name is bestowed on account of its remarkable habit of drawing attention to bees' nests.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.
HONEY-GUIDE.
The name is bestowed on account of its remarkable habit of drawing attention to bees' nests.
It is interesting to note that the geographical range of the barbet is much wider than that of its immediate allies, extending through tropical Asia, Africa, and America.
The Woodpecker Tribe constitutes a large group, generally divided into two sections—theWoodpeckersand theWrynecks.
The former are characterised by their large heads and very powerful bills and long and exceedingly stiff tails. The feet are also peculiar, two toes pointing directly forwards and two backwards. Beak, feet, and tail are all specially adapted to the peculiar habits of these birds, which pass their lives upon trees, climbing the trunks, and searching the interstices of the bark for ants, or drilling holes into the unsound portions of the trunk itself for the purpose of extracting the grubs which feed upon decaying wood.
A FAMILY OF GREATER SPOTTED WOODPECKERS.Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.A FAMILY OF GREATER SPOTTED WOODPECKERS.This woodpecker is a British species.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.A FAMILY OF GREATER SPOTTED WOODPECKERS.This woodpecker is a British species.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.
A FAMILY OF GREATER SPOTTED WOODPECKERS.
This woodpecker is a British species.
That ants and other small insects form the staple diet of the woodpecker is evident from the extraordinary length of the tongue. This is a long, worm-like structure, capable of being protruded many inches from the beak, and covered with a sticky secretion, so that, thrust into colonies of ants, it quickly becomes covered with them, to be withdrawn immediately into the mouth and cleared again for further action.
Woodpeckers are all birds of bright plumage, some particularly so, and have a wide geographical distribution, inhabiting all parts of the world save Madagascar, the Australasian region, and Egypt.
Three species occur in the British Islands, though they are exceedingly rare in Scotland and Ireland. TheGreen Woodpeckeris a particularly handsome bird. Grass-green is the predominating colour of its livery, relieved by a light scarlet cap, a golden patch over the lower part of the back, and chequered bars on the wings and quills.
Scarcely less beautiful, in their way, are theGreaterandLesser Spotted Woodpeckers. The plumage of these birds has a very rich effect, steely blue-black and white being contrasted with scarlet.
LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKERSPhoto by W. F. Piggott][Leighton Buzzard.LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKERSOne of the members of the group is using its stiff tail feathers as a support.
Photo by W. F. Piggott][Leighton Buzzard.LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKERSOne of the members of the group is using its stiff tail feathers as a support.
Photo by W. F. Piggott][Leighton Buzzard.
LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKERS
One of the members of the group is using its stiff tail feathers as a support.
TheSpottedandBlack Woodpeckersare remarkable for a curious drumming sound, so powerful as to be distinctly audible even a mile off. It appears to be caused by hammering vigorously on the bark of some rotten branch, the bird's head moving with amazing rapidity as it beats out this curious tattoo.
Three North American species, known asSap-suckers, have the curious habit of piercing the boles of trees for the purpose of procuring the sap which flows copiously when the tree is so "tapped." Another species of the same region seems to be possessed of a persistent dread of famine, storing up immense quantities of nuts, which it appears never afterwards to use. These nuts are tightly fixed into holes in the bark of trees, and in such numbers that "a large pine 40 or 50 feet high will present the appearance of being closely studded with brass nails, the heads only being visible."
TheWrynecksdiffer from the Woodpeckers mainly in that the tail-feathers are soft instead of spiny. Although sombre, the plumage is yet very beautiful, having a velvety appearance, variegated with pearl-grey, powdered or dusted over a general groundwork of nut-brown, buff, and grey. Bars and fine lines add still more to the general effect, and render description still more difficult. One species is common in England. It is known also as theCuckoo's Mateand theSnake-bird. The former name is given in allusion to the fact that it arrives with the cuckoo, the latter from its strange habit of writhing its head and neck, and also on account of its curious hissing note, made when disturbed on its nest. It has the long, worm-like tongue of the woodpecker, but without a barbed tip.
The habit of writhing the head and neck often serves the wryneck in good stead. Nesting in a hole in a tree, escape is difficult so soon as the discoverer has come to close quarters. The untried egg-collector, for instance, peering down into the nest, and seeing nothing distinctly, but only a moving head, and hearing a hissing sound, imagines the hole to be tenanted by a snake, and beats a hasty retreat, only to catch a glimpse, a moment later, of the bird hurrying out of its perilous hiding-place. Should he, however, discovering the true state of affairs, put down his hand and seize the bird, it will adopt yet other resources. Clinging tightly to its captor's finger, it will ruffle up its feathers, stretch out its neck, and at the same time move it jerkily and stiffly about, and finally, closing its eyes, hang downwards, as if dead. Then, before the puzzled captor has had time to realise what has happened, it loosens its hold and takes instant flight.
The young are easily, though rarely, tamed, and form extremely interesting pets, feeding readily from the hand, and affording endless amusement by their remarkable manner of capturing flies and other insects; but they do not appear to live long in confinement.
The wryneck is one of the few birds which will persistently go on laying eggs, no matter how many times they may be stolen from the nest. A case is on record where as many as forty-two were laid in a single summer by one bird—an exceedingly cruel experiment.
WAXBILLS.Photo by C. Reid, Wishaw.Printed at Lyons, France.WAXBILLS.Waxbills are relatives of the Weaver birds, and take their name from the waxen appearance of the beak which is coral red.
Photo by C. Reid, Wishaw.Printed at Lyons, France.WAXBILLS.Waxbills are relatives of the Weaver birds, and take their name from the waxen appearance of the beak which is coral red.
Photo by C. Reid, Wishaw.Printed at Lyons, France.
WAXBILLS.
Waxbills are relatives of the Weaver birds, and take their name from the waxen appearance of the beak which is coral red.
INDIGO FINCHESPhoto by C. Reid, Wishaw.Printed at Lyons, France.INDIGO FINCHESThe Indigo Finch or Indigo Bird is a well known member of a group of American Finches of which the Nonpareil Finch is another representative.
Photo by C. Reid, Wishaw.Printed at Lyons, France.INDIGO FINCHESThe Indigo Finch or Indigo Bird is a well known member of a group of American Finches of which the Nonpareil Finch is another representative.
Photo by C. Reid, Wishaw.Printed at Lyons, France.
INDIGO FINCHES
The Indigo Finch or Indigo Bird is a well known member of a group of American Finches of which the Nonpareil Finch is another representative.
AMERICAN CROW.Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt][Washington.AMERICAN CROW.In some parts of the United States this crow, everywhere regarded as a pest, is replaced by the raven.
Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt][Washington.AMERICAN CROW.In some parts of the United States this crow, everywhere regarded as a pest, is replaced by the raven.
Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt][Washington.
AMERICAN CROW.
In some parts of the United States this crow, everywhere regarded as a pest, is replaced by the raven.
THE PERCHING-BIRDS.
Such an enormous host are included under this head—nearly 6,000 out of the total of 13,000 known birds—and so great are the difficulties connected with their systematic arrangement, that it has been considered best to begin the present chapter with the highest instead of the lowest types of the group.
JACKDAWS.Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.JACKDAWS.It is believed that the jackdaw is the bird referred to by Shakespeare as the Russet-pated Chough (Midsummer-Night's Dream, iii. 2).
Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.JACKDAWS.It is believed that the jackdaw is the bird referred to by Shakespeare as the Russet-pated Chough (Midsummer-Night's Dream, iii. 2).
Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.
JACKDAWS.
It is believed that the jackdaw is the bird referred to by Shakespeare as the Russet-pated Chough (Midsummer-Night's Dream, iii. 2).
The extensive group of Perching-birds is defined mainly from the characters afforded by the structure of the voice-organ, and these are of much too technical a nature to be discussed here. Suffice it to say that, on account of these characters, the group is further divided into two sections, and each section again divided into two.
The Crows, Orioles, Finches, and Their Allies.
At the head of the tribe stands, by general though by no means universal consent, the Crow Family, of which the recognised chief is theRaven, a bird which has for thousands of years commanded a more than passing interest amongst mankind. Renowned as the truant from the Ark, or as the wonderful minister of the prophet Elijah, there are few even of the youngest amongst us who do not know of its striking personality. The poet and the dramatist have both made use of the raven, and it would seem that it has even found a place in themythology of the Red Indian. The smaller relatives of this celebrated bird, theRook, theCarrion-crow, and theJackdaw, and more distantly theJayand theMagpie, are doubtless as familiar to our readers as the raven.
Although probably unknown to many, theChough, with its glossy black plumage and brilliant red bill and feet, is a British bird, and lives still in certain parts of England, though fast verging on extinction.
Another very remarkable member of the family is theHuia, and this on account of the fact that the male and female differ markedly in respect of the shape of the bill, this being in the female long and sickle-shaped, and in the male short and cone-shaped. This bird frequents the wooded regions of North Island, New Zealand, living upon grubs found in decaying wood, and on berries. The female procures the grubs by probing the holes which they have made in the sounder wood, the male by breaking away the decayed portions of the tree; but occasionally it happens that, having cleared away as much of the decayed material as possible, the latter is unable to reach his prey, in which case he calls up the female, and yields his find to her, to extricate with her longer bill. So great a difference in the form of the bill in the sexes of the same species is elsewhere unknown among birds.
YOUNG AMERICAN BLUE JAY (NATURAL SIZE).Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt][WashingtonYOUNG AMERICAN BLUE JAY (NATURAL SIZE).The blue jay is a most remarkable mimic.
Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt][WashingtonYOUNG AMERICAN BLUE JAY (NATURAL SIZE).The blue jay is a most remarkable mimic.
Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt][Washington
YOUNG AMERICAN BLUE JAY (NATURAL SIZE).
The blue jay is a most remarkable mimic.
The Crows hold the important position of head of the Class birds, yet they are far outshone in splendour by many of the groups already examined, though, with the exception perhaps of the Humming-birds, these all pale before theBirds of Paradise.
Varying in size from a crow to a thrush, the best known of the latter is theGreat Bird of Paradise, which was discovered towards the end of the sixteenth century, if not earlier. On their first discovery it was popularly supposed that these birds lived in the air, turning always to the sun, and never alighting on the earth till they died, for they had neither feet nor wings. Hence the Malay traders called them "God's Birds," the Portuguese "Birds of the Sun," and the Dutch "Paradise-birds." Seventeen or eighteen inches long, these birds have the body, wings, and tail of a rich coffee-brown, which deepens on the breast to a blackish violet or purple-brown. The top of the head and neck are of a delicate straw-yellow, the feathers being short and close-set,resembling velvet. The throat-feathers have a scaly appearance, and are emerald-green in colour. The flank-feathers on either side of the body form a dense mass of long, delicate, waving plumes, sometimes 2 feet in length, of an intense orange colour, and shining with a wonderful gloss. These feathers can be raised and spread out at pleasure, so as to almost conceal the wearer in a fountain-like rain of feathers. This wonderful plumage is worn by the male only, the female being quite plainly dressed. In May, when they are in full dress, the males assemble early in the morning to exhibit themselves, forming what are known as "dancing-parties," which take place on the topmost boughs of some giant tree. "From a dozen to twenty birds assemble together," writes Mr. Alfred Russel Wallace, "raise up their wings, stretch out their necks, and elevate their exquisite plumes, keeping them in continual vibration. Between-whiles they fly across from branch to branch in great excitement, so that the whole tree is filled with waxing plumes in every variety of attitude and motion." The native hunter marks these playing-places, builds a shelter of palm-leaves in a convenient situation among the branches, and ensconces himself under it before daylight, armed with a bow and a number of arrows terminating in a round knob. When the dance is in full swing, he shoots through the roof of his shelter with the blunt arrows, stunning every bird he strikes, which, falling down at once, are immediately picked up by a boy in waiting below. Often a considerable number will be thus secured before the alarm is taken.
A PAIR OF MAGPIES.Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.A PAIR OF MAGPIES.When taken young, the magpie is easily tamed, and can be taught to imitate human sounds.
Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.A PAIR OF MAGPIES.When taken young, the magpie is easily tamed, and can be taught to imitate human sounds.
Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.
A PAIR OF MAGPIES.
When taken young, the magpie is easily tamed, and can be taught to imitate human sounds.
Without coloured figures, or very numerous photographs from living birds, which we can hardly hope to get, it would be impossible, except at the risk of being wearisome, to describe all the wonderful combinations of form and colour which the feathers of the birds of paradise display. Breast-shields of metallic sheen, fans and crests in wonderful variety, feathers of a texture like velvet, or gorgeous colours, confuse one in their variety and combination.Let it suffice to mention only the last discovered species—theKing of Saxony's Bird of Paradise. "Velvety black above," writes Dr. Sharpe, "and yellowish below, there is nothing very striking in the aspect of the bird itself, which is smaller than our song-thrush. But the 'streamers' which it carries! Poised ... on either side of the head is a long, shaft-like plume, from which depends, on the lower side only, a series of little flags of blue enamel, each quite separate from the one which precedes it, and not of a feathery structure in the least."
CORNISH CHOUGH.Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.CORNISH CHOUGH.Very nearly extinct as a British bird.
Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.CORNISH CHOUGH.Very nearly extinct as a British bird.
Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.
CORNISH CHOUGH.
Very nearly extinct as a British bird.
Close allies of the Birds of Paradise are the remarkableBower-birdsof Australia. Conspicuously beautiful in coloration as are some members of this tribe, they are celebrated not so much on this account as for an extraordinary habit of constructing "bowers" or "playing-grounds"—a trait which appears absolutely unique among birds. "These constructions," observes Mr. Gould, "consist in a collection of pieces of stick or grass, formed into a bower; or one of them (that of theSpotted Bower-bird) might be called an avenue, being about 3 feet in length, and 7 or 8 inches broad inside; a transverse section giving the figure of a horse-shoe, the round part downwards. They are used by the birds as a playing-house, or 'run,' as it is termed, and are used by the males to attract the females. The 'run' of theSatin-birdis much smaller, being less than 1 foot in length, and, moreover, differs from that just described in being decorated with the highly coloured feathers of the Parrot Tribe. TheSpotted Bower-bird, on the other hand, collects around its 'run' a quantity of stones, shells, bleached bones, etc.; they are also strewed down the centre within."
KING BIRD OF PARADISE.Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.KING BIRD OF PARADISE.A native of New Guinea; remarkable for the curled tail-feathers.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.KING BIRD OF PARADISE.A native of New Guinea; remarkable for the curled tail-feathers.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.
KING BIRD OF PARADISE.
A native of New Guinea; remarkable for the curled tail-feathers.
More wonderful still are the structures reared by theGardener-birdof New Guinea, presenting, as Professor Newton remarks, "not only a modification of bower-building, but an appreciation of beauty perhaps unparalleled in the animal world.... This species ... builds at the foot of a small tree a kind of hut or cabin ... some 2 feet in height, roofed with orchid-stems that slope to the ground, regularly radiating from the central support, which is covered with a conical mass of moss, and sheltering a gallery around it. One side of this hut is left open, and in front of it is arranged a bed of verdant moss, bedecked with blossoms and berries of the brightest colours. As these ornaments wither they are removed to a heap behind the hut, and replaced by others that arefresh. The hut is circular and some 3 feet in diameter, and the mossy lawn in front of it nearly twice that expanse. Each hut and garden are, it is believed, though not known, the work of a single pair of birds, or perhaps of the male only; and it may be observed that this species, as its trivial name implies, is wholly inornate in plumage. Not less remarkable is the more recently described 'bower' of theGolden Bower-bird.... This structure is said ... to be piled up almost horizontally around the base of a tree to the height of from 4 to 6 feet, and around it are a number of hut-like fabrics, having the look of a dwarfed native camp." Allied species, though building no bowers, yet clear a space of ground some 8 or 9 feet in diameter, on which to display themselves, and ornament this with little heaps of gaily tinted leaves, replacing them as they fade with fresh specimens.
QUEENSLAND RIFLE-BIRD.Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.QUEENSLAND RIFLE-BIRD.This unique Australian representative of the Birds of Paradise is about the size of a pigeon. Its plumage is black with a purple sheen; the throat is brilliant metallic emerald-green, like that of a humming-bird.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.QUEENSLAND RIFLE-BIRD.This unique Australian representative of the Birds of Paradise is about the size of a pigeon. Its plumage is black with a purple sheen; the throat is brilliant metallic emerald-green, like that of a humming-bird.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.
QUEENSLAND RIFLE-BIRD.
This unique Australian representative of the Birds of Paradise is about the size of a pigeon. Its plumage is black with a purple sheen; the throat is brilliant metallic emerald-green, like that of a humming-bird.
We pass next to the birds of the Starling Family, of which theBritish Starlingis the type. A bird so familiar needs no description here; but we may draw attention to the many interesting phases of plumage this species undergoes.
The first plumage is a uniform greyish brown. Later black feathers, with large white spots at the tips, make their appearance among the brown. These spotted feathers eventually replace the brown, and the bird enters upon a second quite distinct phase—a black, spotted with white. Gradually this gives place to a plumage entirely unspotted, the feathers on the breast being spear-shaped. In the adult dress a wondrous variety of metallic reflections is acquired—green, purple, and violet.
RED BIRD OF PARADISE.Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.RED BIRD OF PARADISE.Found only on the small island of Waigiou, off the north-west coast of New Guinea.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.RED BIRD OF PARADISE.Found only on the small island of Waigiou, off the north-west coast of New Guinea.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.
RED BIRD OF PARADISE.
Found only on the small island of Waigiou, off the north-west coast of New Guinea.
Associating in the autumn and winter in large flocks, starlings move from place to place in search of food. Sometimes the number of birds in these combined flocks rises to an enormous figure. One of the largest of these gatherings recorded in England existed on the property of the late Mr. Miles near Bristol. "This locality is an evergreen plantation ... covering some acres, to which these birds repairof an evening ... by millions, from the low grounds about the Severn, where their noise and stench are something altogether unusual. By packing in such myriads upon evergreens, they have stripped them of their leaves, except just at the tops, and have driven the pheasants, for whom the plantation was intended, quite away from the ground. In the daytime, when the birds are not there, the stench is still excessive. Mr. Miles was about to cut the whole plantation down, to get rid of them, two years ago, but I begged him not to do so, on account of the curiosity of the scene, and he has since been well pleased that he abstained."
A similar but still larger congregation has been described; in this, about the year 1845, from 150,000 to 200,000 starlings were computed to rest every night, between the end of October and the end of March, in certain trees in the gardens of the Zoological Society in Dublin. The roof of St. Patrick's Cathedral, in the heart of Dublin, has from time to time been resorted to, as many as 2,000 seeking shelter there. "Possessing very considerable powers of wing," observes Yarrell, "these are turned to account in an extraordinary manner by the birds composing the flock. They wheel, close, open out, rise and descend, as if each were obeying a commander, and all this is done with the utmost marvellous precision while the flock is proceeding at a rapid pace through the air. At times it may extend in a long and nearly straight thread; suddenly an undulation is visible along the line, and in a moment it takes the form of a thin and smoke-like cloud; another moment, and it is a dense and almost perfect globe; then possibly, having preserved this appearance for a perceptibly longer time, it becomes pear-shaped, and in another instant has assumed a spiral figure; an instant after it has spread out like a sheet, and its members are streaming softly along the ground, perhaps to alight, or perhaps once more to mount aloft and circle as before." There are few more magnificent sights in the world than a flock of starlings when performing evolutions of this kind.
YOUNG STARLINGS.Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.YOUNG STARLINGS.Starlings, if taken when young, are easily tamed and make excellent pets.
Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.YOUNG STARLINGS.Starlings, if taken when young, are easily tamed and make excellent pets.
Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.
YOUNG STARLINGS.
Starlings, if taken when young, are easily tamed and make excellent pets.
Differing much, not only in general appearance, but also in coloration, from the common starling is theRose-coloured Starling, so called from the beautiful rose-pink colour of the back and breast, set off by the rest of the plumage, which is black, glossed with violet, blue, and green reflections. This handsome bird occasionally visits Britain. Feeding largely upon locusts, these birds are much affected in their movements by the peregrinations of these pests; and this accounts for the sporadic appearance of the rose-coloured starling in huge flocks in places where it is generally seldom seen.
Dull in appearance, ungraceful in flight, and with a harsh, unmusical note, the starlingknown as theOx-peckerwould seem at first sight to have little to recommend it; yet it is one of the benefactors of the larger African mammals, clearing them of flies and other insect-pests. Buffaloes, rhinoceroses, elephants, are alike grateful for its services, as it climbs about their huge bodies, picking off the liliputian enemies by which they are beset. But little appears to be known of the breeding-habits of these birds.
In strong contrast to the dull-looking Ox-birds are the beautifulGlossy StarlingsandGrackles. TheAfrican Glossy Starlings, indeed, represent the most beautiful of all the members of the Starling Tribe. In one of the handsomest and best-known species—theLong-tailed Glossy Starling—metallic green and purple-violet are the predominating tones in the plumage, glossed with copper reflections, and relieved by black or darker bars of green and purple. In another species—theGreen Glossy Starlingof Eastern Africa—the shimmer of the plumage is so wonderful that the exact shades of colour are difficult to describe, in that they change completely, according to the light in which the bird is held.
TheGrackles, orHill-mynas, are Indian birds, with glossy black plumage, relieved by bare flaps of yellow skin projecting backwards from the head immediately behind the eye. These birds make excellent pets, learning both to whistle and talk.